Top Administrative Skills For Success and Career Advancement!
Unlock Your Potential and Make Your Workday Easier
So, you want to become an administrative assistant all-star? As an administrative professional, you are the foundation of a successful office. And it's no easy task! You have to juggle multiple tasks and responsibilities daily to keep the office running smoothly. From managing emails and calendars, to organizing meetings and fielding phone calls, you are the glue that holds the office together.
It takes a special set of administrative skills to become an all-star. Whether you're new to the field or a seasoned professional, there are always ways to sharpen your skills and stand out from the crowd. Read on to find out more!
Table of Contents
What does an administrative professional do?
As an office administrator or office manager, life is hardly mundane! You're the unsung hero of any organization, keeping business operations running smoothly. From organizing complex filing systems to fielding customer requests or helping plan events, you manage and motivate daily activities while juggling myriad tasks.
It's no wonder, then, that your skill set often varies from being a master multitasker, mediator, and problem-solver, all while creating effective solutions and maintaining relationships with clients and co-workers simultaneously! Whoever said being an office administrator was boring?!
What are administrative skills?
Being an administrative assistant requires more than just the ability to write a killer email or schedule a few meetings. It also requires a mix of hard and soft skills. Hard skills, like proficiency in Word and Excel, are the technical skills one needs to possess. Soft skills are the interpersonal ones, like being organized, attentive to detail, and having excellent communication abilities.
With the right mix of these two categories and document control training, any administrative assistant can be a boss at orchestrating the behind-the-scenes chaos! So let's dig in.
What skills does an administrator need?
Here are the top 9 administrative assistant skills to get you noticed so you can advance your career and stand out amongst a sea of competition.
1 - Develop Strong Organizational Skills
Organizational skills are key for any successful administrative assistant! Keep a calendar of upcoming events and tasks so that nothing slips through the cracks, and create a filing system so that documents can easily be found when needed. Taking extra care with the organization will help keep your team happy!
Want to master your digital note-taking skills?
Learn how Microsoft OneNote can help you master your day and achieve ultimate collaboration with your team members with this mini-course and template bundle!
2 - Be Efficient With Your Time
Office administrators have to juggle a lot of responsibilities during the workday – from maintaining employee schedules, to filing paperwork, to dealing with any unexpected snags in the day-to-day process. Good time management will help them tackle these tasks easily and provide a much more productive work experience! By understanding how to efficiently use their time, an office admin can spread out the workload, get ahead of potential issues before they arise, and take principled breaks that help refresh their minds so they can continue carrying out their duties. Plus, it's way more fun when you're not stressing over short deadlines.
3 - Stay Calm Under Pressure
Being an office assistant can be a high-pressure job, especially when stressful deadlines start creeping in and workloads become more intense. But that doesn't mean it's impossible to stay calm under pressure! One strategy is to take a few moments each morning to practice mindfulness. This can be as simple as focusing on your breathing for a few minutes or taking time for some gentle stretching to ease away any tension.
Taking needed breaks throughout the day can also help clear your head and relax your body, letting you approach tasks with renewed energy and enthusiasm. A positive mindset also goes a long way, so try to will yourself to think, “this work is manageable” instead of “I'll never get through this!” With the right attitude and a few self-care practices, you'll be able to keep cool under pressure and still get the job done!
4 - Be Proactive and Take Initiative
When it comes to being an admin all-star, think ahead! Anticipate your boss’s or team's needs before they arise so you can stay one step ahead of their requests. This could mean preparing materials or researching topics related to upcoming projects before they even come up in conversation - it’s all about being prepared!
Rather than waiting for instructions from your team, look around and see what needs to be done and target it before you're asked! This shows initiative and resourcefulness, traits that will help you stand out among other office administrators.
5 - Offer Solutions, Not Problems
If problems arise, take steps towards solving them yourself before seeking assistance. Try to determine the root cause of the issue, what needs to be done to correct it, and if that skill or task is within your wheelhouse. This demonstrates problem-solving skills that employers value highly. And if possible, offer potential solutions or options moving forward to help move things forward quickly and efficiently!
6 - Prioritize Tasks Effectively
One of the most important administrative skills is the ability to prioritize tasks. An office administrator must be able to identify which tasks need to be done immediately and which can wait until later. This skill requires good time management and organization skills, as well as the ability to think critically about which tasks are more important than others.
To help you with that, I've created a Priority Matrix Template that will help you determine what to target first, what to delegate, and what to come back to later.
7 - Pay Attention To Details
Being an administrator means having a keen eye for detail! The office environment can quickly become chaotic without paying close attention to the small things. Anyone who’s ever worked in a fast-paced environment knows that missing even one single tiny thing can have large repercussions!
Understanding the importance of tending to even the tiniest tasks and requests is part of becoming an all-star assistant, which is why attention to detail is one of the top office administrator skills. So pay attention, stay focused, and show off those mad administration skills; your co-workers will thank you (and recommend you!) later.
8 - Develop Relationships With Coworkers
Networking with coworkers is essential as an admin all-star! Get out from behind your desk and get involved with office activities. From lunchtime conversations to after-work gatherings, building relationships with coworkers helps build trust among departments and strengthens collaboration overall.
9 - Maintain Professionalism
Finally, maintaining a professional demeanour is essential for becoming an administrative assistant all-star. An office administrator should always be courteous when interacting with colleagues or customers, no matter how difficult the situation may be. Maintaining professionalism at all times will ensure that you remain respected by those around you and gain recognition for your hard work and dedication.
Hard Skills for Administrative Assistants
Hard skills are technical abilities that are acquired through formal education, training, or experience. They are measurable, quantifiable, and often specific to certain tasks or roles. Hard skills can be learned through formal education, self-study, on-the-job experience, or certification programs.
If you're on the path to becoming an administrative pro, mastering these 6 technical skills is key. They'll provide a firm foundation for handling even more complex duties down the line.
1 - Microsoft Office
Being an administrative assistant requires a comprehensive knowledge of the Microsoft Office suite of products like Word, and Excel. Acquiring these skills can save you time and give rise to top-tier work output.
Learning how to navigate your way around these programs is also a must if you want a competitive edge, so you can promise your team that you can breeze through those documents faster than anyone else!
Do you have a hard time staying organized at work?
If so, you need to check out Microsoft OneNote! This amazing program can help you keep track of everything from your to-do list to important meeting notes. In this blog post, I share how I use OneNote to stay organized at work and explain some of its best features.
2 - Business Writing
Understanding various business writing methods can help you write a more compelling email to your colleagues or easily draft professional documents for your team. To start learning, why not take advantage of the plethora of online resources available covering everything related to business writing? From books and blogs to courses and lectures, these will quickly give you the confidence you need to produce superior work. Once you have all the basics down, refine your skills with practice.
Save time when it comes to writing with our Professional Business Word and Excel Templates!
3 - Scheduling Meetings and Calendar Management
As an administrative assistant, it's your responsibility to manage the dozens of meetings that take place during the week or even in a day. That can be no easy feat! But don't worry - with some simple tips and tricks, you'll have those meetings scheduled like a pro in no time.
Use a scheduling program to ensure everyone's availability is considered before confirming a time slot.
Provide a meeting agenda so everyone knows exactly what they should prepare for.
Give enough time between meetings so that arrivals are not delayed, or meetings rushed through.
Create calendar templates for recurring appointments or events.
Use colour coding to indicate different types of events on your calendar.
Share your calendar with other office personnel so they can see what you're working on.
Use reminder notifications to make sure you don't forget about important appointments.
4 - Strong Typing Skills
Learning how to type quickly and without error is essential for any office professional, and the good news is it can be fun! There are many online typing tests available to challenge yourself and track your progress over time. Practicing basic home row drills and focusing on accuracy rather than speed are great ways to develop strong typing skills. With practice, patience, and perseverance, you’ll find yourself typing like a pro with speedy fingers in no time.
5 - Record and File Management
As administrative assistants, we often have the daunting task of managing tons of documents and records. The challenge is knowing where everything is to keep our organization running like a well-oiled machine.
That’s why it’s so important for us to stay on top of Record and File Management best practices, aka Document Control, so if someone asks for something specific, like “the report from last year” or “the latest approved procedure,” we can snap into action super fast! You don't want anything getting lost or misplaced along the way.
6 - Email Management
Email management is one of your major responsibilities as an administrative assistant. Keeping the flow of emails organized and responsive could be the key to success for any executive or business. Not only will it lead to better communication between departments, but it'll also help keep your boss's inbox stress-free.
Answering emails promptly shows that you are attentive and organized. Take time each morning to check your inbox and respond accordingly. This will help ensure that no messages slip through the cracks and will make you more efficient in your role as an administrative assistant. And if you can't take action on an email within its expected timeframe, be courteous and let the sender know!
Want to know more? We offer a Document Distribution Course that has an entire module on Email Management so you can learn to keep your inbox organized and clean, plus learn how to set up Outlook Rules and Tasks so you never forget to follow up or complete a task.
How to improve your administrative skills
In the ever-evolving world of admin work and document control, it's important that administrative professionals stay sharp and constantly improve both their hard and soft skills. Growing your professionalism will help you stand out and open up new career opportunities – plus, an enthusiastic attitude and increased efficiency can make your workday smoother and more enjoyable!
With the right combination of technical know-how, communication skills, problem-solving abilities and time management strategies, admins can become indispensable assets to any team. Plus, if you find tasks you don't know about or don't feel confident in completing them, a great way to tackle them is to set aside some time for research. You'll emerge as an even more capable professional with a polished set of tools to get the job done.
Stay Up-To-Date On Office Technology
Administrative assistants often work with some of the most cutting-edge office technologies on the market. Staying up-to-date on the latest software and hardware is a must to stay ahead of the game and to make sure you utilize every opportunity to make your workplaces fast and efficient.
There's a lot to learn about! From cloud storage solutions that can save important files and make them accessible from anywhere, to workflows and automations that can take care of mundane tasks, to collaborative tools that keep teams connected even while they’re apart.
Unravelling the mysteries surrounding these fresh bits of modern-day wizardry can make administrative assistants even more proficient at their job, turning them into ultra-efficiency machines!
Enroll In Continuing Education Courses
Document Control Training is an excellent route if you're an administrative assistant looking to stay ahead of the competition and make your work days more productive.
Online document control courses can enhance your knowledge base with up-to-date information in this specialized field while developing new skills - helping you build in-demand career skills that can help you advance in your career!
If you want to learn the top skills and strategies for becoming an all-star, consider enrolling in document control online courses for administrative training and skill development.
Trust me, the time and effort spent learning something new is an investment in yourself and worth every penny.
Ask for Feedback
As an administrative assistant, asking for constructive feedback is extremely beneficial when assessing where you stand in your career. Whether it's from a manager, trained professionals, or even friends and family, getting insight on refining your skills and taking on more efficient processes is critical to taking your career to the next level.
What is the career path for administrative assistants?
If you're the type of person who loves to be organized, enjoys working with people, and has fantastic communication skills, then a career path as an administrative assistant may be for you. Once flourished in this role, many admins feel confident in taking on more senior roles, such as overseeing office operations or serving as a liaison between departments within a company. Upskilling can put you on the trajectory to becoming an:
Office Manager
Office Assistant
Document Controller
Executive Assistant
Project Coordinator
Administrative Training and Skill Development
If you're looking for the missing piece of the office administration puzzle to enhance your career or show your boss that you're in it to win it, our Document Control Mastery Online Course is what you need! With this fun, in-depth course, you'll be revolutionizing your workday and slaying that dreaded paperwork in no time.
This course will save you time, money, and stress in all office areas. You’ll learn techniques like streamlining processes, organizing documents quickly and comprehensively, reducing errors and oversights, plus so much more. And you'll get immediate access to templates and downloadable resource guides so you won’t have to re-create the wheel.
So why wait? Check out one of our courses today! Trust me, the time and effort spent learning something new is an investment in yourself and worth every penny.
Did you know that many organizations have a budget specifically set aside for employee development and continuing education?
That means your enrollment in an online course could potentially be expensed!
Ask your manager today!
Enrolling in Document Control Mastery won't only equip you with new skills and techniques that will impress your boss and teammates, but there’s no telling just how far you could go in your career thanks to your awesome new skills. The best part? You can do it all in record time.
Final Thoughts
Becoming an outstanding administrative assistant or office professional requires a lot of hard (but fun!) work and dedication, but it's completely possible with the right attitude, strategies, and administrator training. By prioritizing tasks effectively, being proactive when necessary, and maintaining professionalism at all times, you can ensure that your employer recognizes your efforts - making yourself indispensable in the process!
Good luck!
Found this post helpful?
The biggest compliment I can receive is a share. Share this post with a friend or colleague to help expand our DC community!
